Tattoos are not just a fashion trend anymore, and gone are the days when wolves on your forearm made someone the coolest in the room. Unlike the stereotypical perception of Gen-Z, dainty tattoos are the hottest thing they flaunt today. Falling between the sweet spot of having enough disposable income and small luxuries, dainty tattoos are changing the overall perception of body modification.
For the longest time, several grandmothers and grandfathers had a tattoo on the back of their hands. Be it a religious symbol or a motif, were they the original stars of this minimal tattoo trend? Being called the innovator of syntax, Gen Z has given birth to terms like ‘delulu’, ‘skibidi’, and ‘broligarchy’, which are now a part of the Cambridge Dictionary. But dainty tattoos? Perhaps not.
A 2023 Pew Research found that out of the 8,480 adults surveyed, 41% respondents under 30 said that they had at least one tattoo. In fact, centres providing the service, such as tattoo parlours, piercing studios, and other beauty salons, are not only providing increased employment, but are also gradually increasing in number. Whether this points to consumerism or an overall increase in disposable income, it is a trend for those being surveyed.
Small luxuries: Search trends and influencers
According to a Business Insider (BI) report, which looked at a Google Trends graph, it found that “fine-line tattoos” saw a surge in search. That’s not all, it has also been a trending topic among influencers and is commonly seen as a meaningful symbol to commemorate a moment in their life.
“We can think about tiny tattoos as a form of conspicuous consumption,” said J. Jobu Babin, a behavioral scientist and professor at the University of Northern Iowa, the BI report quoted. “They still serve as an outward marker of self-expression, or maybe connection,” Babin added.
“Twenty years ago, when someone thought of tattoos, they thought, almost just: ‘lack of professionalism.’ Whereas now tattoos are classifying more as wealth,” a tattoo artist told BI. “If you have money to get quality tattoos, then you are financially stable or you’re financially thriving. And it is almost equivalent to a spa day now,” they added.
